Make Change Easy

I was once talking to a friend who worked in a major investment bank and I mentioned that I had just had a lunch meeting with their Head of Change Management. She thought for a second, and then shook her head and said “we don’t have that position”. (To this day I don’t know why…

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Business Values: Management Starts Before You Hire

It is the eternal dilemma of the manager or business owner: how to manage people with inspiration, leadership, and motivation, still maintaining a results-driven approach? Of course you want to nurture your team, let people develop their strengths, create a job they will enjoy, and more. But not to the detriment of meeting targets. How…

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Management versus Leadership

There is plenty of talk about management versus leadership, often pitting the two in opposition to one another. Generally the contrast is based on a leader being focused on inspiration, and a manager being focused on activities. I agree with these assessments, but I also believe both are necessary in a well-run company. Leaders and…

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The Wrong Way to Build Process – A Story

A client I worked with once told me a story from when she worked in the corporate world, early on in her career. It is a great example of a lack of process and all the problems that creates. The Story The protagonist of this story was in an administrative client facing position. She supported…

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The Right Way to Build Process

Words you will have read multiple times on this blog are: “there is no single right way, but the are many wrong ways”. Process mapping and building is no different. Below are key facts to consider when building a process to make it effective as well as malleable to environmental change. To, in other words,…

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The Right Way To Do A Resource Audit

In last week’s post we summarized some key internal resources a business must review and audit to effectively plan and get things done. The approach discussed works best for service businesses, which is what I tend to serve. Let’s broaden the scope this week and examine what goes into a resource audit for any type…

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How I work – Professional Competencies

Professional competencies speak to how technical skills are applied. They will demonstrate an employee’s potential for promotion within the business. Everybody claims to want the same competencies in a candidate, so I examine how these are exhibited in the workplace, against the company’s goals. With this I build a prioritized competency table, like a point…

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How To Ask Bad Interview Questions

Let us also dedicate a few words to bad interview questions. Here are some formats to avoid: Yes/No questions. Especially ones where the obvious answer is yes. “Are you good at problem solving?” If anybody answers no let me know, I would like to interview that person for this blog. Trick or silly questions. “If…

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How To Ask Good Interview Questions

Interview Questions matter – having spent the last few weeks explaining competencies and their value in the hiring process, it is worth discussing how to ask the right questions during the interview process. Job interviews are difficult to handle. Candidates are nervous, anxious to please and make the right impression. Employers are hoping for a…

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How to Choose Your Competencies

Using these two groups of competencies helps to list out specific traits. There is nothing on those lists that an employer would not want in his or her workforce. But choices must be made, so how do you choose the competencies for your team? Bringing it all together What can be taught, what must be…

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